Never Fear

So many things hang over our heads, like vultures waiting to gorge on the failures. We live in a culture that fears failure and demands excellence, perfection, and competitive lust for success. Certainly doing one's best is a good thing, but too often unspoken standards "out there" paralyze us from doing anything at all. We convince ourselves it is better not to try and avoid embarrassment if it doesn't work out.

And yet, I've learned the most from my failures, and I rejoice in those experiences. Some of them taught me that I was not talented in that sphere. Other times I've learned from what went wrong and did it better the next time around. And sometimes the learning was all I wanted, and did not feel compelled to go at it again.

Once I had a very bad teaching experience. I vowed that that was it--no more classroom teaching for me. Today I live to teach in the classroom. Necessity forced me back, and I learned from each return to the classroom, grew as a teacher, and found that I loved it after all. If fear had ruled my decision, my best gifts would have been buried in anxiety.

Today I am embarking on another task that I am anxious about. I am procrastinating. It is yet undetermined if I will succeed, only pass muster, or entirely fail. But I will learn on the journey, and not be paralyzed by fear.